


Honey Cakes

by dwarrowdams



Series: Eadgyd, But Not Sad [3]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Baking, Disability, Erebor, Gen, in which Eadgyd is clearly a Leo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25981843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwarrowdams/pseuds/dwarrowdams
Summary: Eadgyd bakes honey cakes to win the favor of the dwarves of Erebor.  Set during a Fellowship Phase in-campaign.
Series: Eadgyd, But Not Sad [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877335
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2
Collections: All the Eadgyd All the Time





	Honey Cakes

**Author's Note:**

> Even though we're jumping forward to post-trauma Eadgyd (hence her name being The Sad), this is not a sad piece.
> 
> During this Fellowship Phase (the part of the campaign where the characters aren't fighting), Eadgyd and her companions decided to band together and unlock Erebor as a sanctuary, which meant that myself and the other players had to describe what our characters did to win the dwarves' favor. Eadgyd also trained with them, but since honey cakes are a Beorning secret that no one else knows how to make, I felt like those would captivate the dwarves' attention more than anything.

Eadgyd hadn’t expected to find herself cooking in a dwarven kitchen, but nonetheless, here she was.

She’d spent her earliest days in Erebor swapping stories with some of the dwarves: sometimes about battle, but often about quieter pursuits, such as crafting and baking. As soon as she’d mentioned the honey cakes, the dwarves had begun to ask if she knew how to make them. Eadgyd wasn’t a skilled baker, but she’d learned to make honey-cakes as soon as she was old enough to stir and found the familiar process comforting. With Hanar’s help—and the promises of months’ worth of honey-cakes—she’d secured a kitchen with a large oven where she could work undisturbed.

She chose one of the cooler days to sequester herself inside with massive quantities of ingredients, the door bolted shut lest someone should dare to intrude. Thankfully, the dwarves had been understanding of her secrecy surrounding the ingredients and hadn’t pushed her for details on the honey-cakes.

Once everything was in order, Eadgyd removed her prosthetic and set it out of harm’s way, gently rubbing the place where it had attached to her bicep. It was made to withstand daily use, but she had been wearing it more often now for fear of someone staring in horror when she removed half her arm. She’d endured a similar experience while traveling with Frida and was now cautious about when she chose to remove it.

Fortunately, the privacy of the kitchen was a perfect place. She could make do just fine with her right hand and the remainder of her left arm. One day, she would need to practice using it for exactly this kind of work, but that day would be in an environment more forgiving to the mistakes she’d inevitably make.

As soon as she’d heated the oven and readied the bowls, Eadgyd quickly lost herself in the familiar rhythm of baking as she measured the ingredients and mixed them together. It took quite some time to prepare them all—she had promised the dwarves enough to last months, after all—but eventually, she placed the last batch of cakes in the oven. As they baked, Eadgyd tidied the kitchen, putting away the ingredients she’d used and cleaning the floors and counters. When she next checked the oven, the first cakes she’d put in were ready and she set them on the counter to cool. 

She frowned as she took them in, realizing that she hadn’t taken enough care with shaping the cakes. Most of them were in the traditional hexagonal shape (or a close semblance of it), but a few looked more like misshapen lumps than anything. She’d never had the patience to get them perfect and working with only one hand made the task even more difficult. Thankfully, the subsequent batches looked much nicer

She refastened her prosthetic before heading towards the door, opening it to reduce some of the kitchen’s heat. To her surprise, she saw a crowd of eager dwarves awaiting her. It seemed that the smell had drawn them, making them eager for a taste of the Beornings’ famed honey-cakes. She stared in awe for a moment before her lips curved into a smile before she addressed the crowd.

“You’ll have to wait until the cakes cool unless you wish to burn your tongues, but you are all welcome to some,” she said.

The crowd murmured, disappointment crossing many faces. “How long?” one particularly young and eager dwarf asked.

“A quarter-hour, I think—perhaps less—but if any of you want to help me wash dishes in the meantime, I wouldn’t mind,” she said. “And you’d get first pick when the cakes are still warm.”

Eadgyd had never seen so many people rush to clean the pile of dirty dishes that had accumulated. Fortunately, many hands made light work, and before long, everything was washed, dried, and stored away. Once the kitchen was spick and span, Eadgyd broke off the corner of a honey cake to test it.

She sighed contentedly as she tasted it, savoring the gently sweet flavor. “They’re the perfect temperature,” she said. “Help yourselves.”

No one needed any more prompting than that. Everyone rushed towards the honey-cakes, abandoning their conversations and tasks in favor of the famed treat.

“Delicious!” one of them said. “So much better than cram!”

Others murmured in agreement and gave their own compliments—often through full mouths, but no one minded, least of all Eadgyd. No one had heaped such praise on her since Eadgar died, and he did so in part because he knew how much words of praise meant to her. Needless to say, every compliment and contented noise was like a sunbeam shining on Eadgyd’s heart. She wanted to let everyone eat to their heart’s content, but the exhaustion from hours of cooking overrode her need for praise.

“No more than one for now,” she said. “I did promise enough to last months.”

There were a few disappointed murmurs, but everyone obliged, finishing off their honey cakes before meandering back towards the door.

“Wait a moment,” Eadgyd said. “I just wanted to thank you—all of you—for letting me steal away your kitchen today. I know it can’t be easy, but I’m grateful.”

An older dwarf smiled at her. “Lass, if you promise to make more of your honey cakes, you can take our kitchens as long as you want.”

Eadgyd winked at him. “Watch what you say,” she teased. “I might just take you up on that.”

**Author's Note:**

> A fair warning: these stories are going to keep jumping around in terms of time (if you've read Rogues Do It from Behind, you have a good idea of what to expect). I always try to leave notes in the summary or at the beginning to contextualize because I know that the constant time-jumping can get confusing.
> 
> Also yes, Eadgyd is absolutely a Leo. Just look at her basking in that praise. (It also seems worth mentioning that her love language is words of affirmation, so she's probably glowing for weeks after this moment.)
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed this! (It's my birthday on Wednesday the 19th so comments are extra appreciated.)
> 
> Tumblr: dwarrowdams  
> Twitter: @_tenderqueer


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